Legless ironing board

ABSTRACT

An ironing board for pressing garments. A legless device with fastening elements to provide mounting of the ironing board atop a drawer or atop a bread board of a cabinet.

United States Patent Gooderum [4 1 June 13, 1972 [54] LEGLESS IRONING BOARD 3,044,197 7/1962 Cook ..108/97 2,028,789 1/1936 Lindquist... 108/97 X [72] Inventor. Leoda J. Gooderum, 627 Charles Street, 2,324,247 7/1943 Human ""108 /97 X La 54601 2,486,606 1 1/1949 Lantz ..1os/97 x 22 Filed; b, 24, 1970 2,588,844 3/1952 Jones et al 108/152 X 2,746,186 5/1956 Brown 108/97 X pp 13,4 6 3,031,782 5/1962 Frye. 108/97 x 3,259,082 7/ 1966 Williams ..108/97 X (5| "108117; Pn-may Examiner 'Bbby R Gay 0 0 u 6 a 6 I I 6 a n 1 I v 6 n 6 I 1 6 6 I n n As o P h 58 Field of Search nos/4142, 92-98, imam Emmm' me 108/152 57] ABSTRACT [56] Referenc'es Cited An ironing board for pressing garments. A legless device with fastening elements to provide mounting of the ironing board UNITED STATES PATENTS atop a drawer or atop a bread board of a cabinet.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 2,511,919 6/1950 Jones et a1. ..l08/152 X PATENTEB vmmz 3669.032

' SHEET 1 UF 2 Leodo. GOOdG/"U/W INVENTOR.

LEGLESS IRONING BOARD This invention relates to a le'gless board or work table top, and more particularly to a ironing board which mounts atop a partially open drawer or bread board of a cabinet or furniture piece.

Ironing boards are well known'of the type with collapsible legs and of anotherv type which isportable and legless and is used while supported by a' table top. The typical leg types are known to involve an awkward chore in setting them up into a usable ironing position, because of the handling and maneuvering of the board itself. They also require a rather large storage space when not in use because even with the legs folded, the legs will add to the total bulkiness. The portable type ironing boards have disadvantages because they typically have a rather small. table top and they, therefore, become limited in their ability to receive large garments or'fabric pieces for pressing.

An'object of my invention is to provide an ironing board mounted atop a partially open drawer or bread board, providing a fast and easily maneuverable set-up of the board (the setup is defined as the desired position needed to accommodate the actual ironing work).

Another object of my invention is to provide an ironing board which will not require the opening or unfolding of any legs to obtain the proper set-up, nor will it require the collapsing of any legs for its storage.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a compact ironing board which will require a small storage space, and, while it is compact its ironing surface is of a desirable and efficient size with ability, to accommodate the pressing of large garments and fabric pieces.

The'le'gless ironing board of the present invention features a pair of blades, fixed some distance apart and which are fastened to and extend out from one end of the table top means. With the drawer partially open, these blades will rest under the deck top of the cabinet and inside the drawer opening from which the drawer was pulled. The bottom side of the table top means willrest on the drawer facing board at the further open end of the drawer. A support assembly is attached to the same end of the table top and directly in front of the two blades. The supportassembly features two longitudinal length elements-of a guide channel and a slide body. The slide body element has a tongue at one end and the slide body is adapted tobe slidably received into the guide channel. The

slide body has a tongue at one end. The guide channel also has a tongue at its one end farthest away from the tongue of the slide body. The position of the support assembly has its longitudinallength running in a direction acros's'the width of the table top 'with the tongues pointed downward and away from the table top. The tongues are fixedly spaced apart by an adjustable mount. The tongues are spaced apart a determined width to receive the drawer between the tongues. Thus, the support member provides a clamping feature as both tongues fit around the two outside boards of the open drawer, discouraging a possible sideway movement of the ironing board. The support member also prevents the end of the table top, where the support member itself is attached, from being pushed downward into the bottom of the open drawer.

A longitudinal shaped lift block element is fixed to the underside of the table top some distance in front of the support assembly and mounted in a direction parallel to the clamp rod. The lift block has a longitudinal tunnel to accept the front facing board of the drawer and will elevate the table top at this point.

The invented board may also be removably mounted onto a partially open bread board, commonly found built into cabinets. The blades are pushed and fitted between the pulled out top surface of the bread board and the immediate fixed surface of the opening in which the bread board fits into and slides out of. The support assembly will again serve to discourage a sideway slipping of the ironing board because the tongues will be placed so as to stride the bread board. The lift block will rest atop the bread board at its pulled out end and will serve to elevate the table top at this point, giving a more desirable ironing position. The lift block will also serve to raise the clamp rod above the bread board's top surface.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the disassembled parts of the ironing board constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the table top means with a ironing board cover attached.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 3-3 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is'a sectional taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 4-4 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing ironing board mounted atop a a bread board and showing the partial cabinet from which the bread board was partially pulled.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross section partial view of the ironing board and cabinet and a drawer taken on a line 6-6 in FIG. 5. However, there is a difference here from FIG. 5, which is; the bread board is pushed into cabinet while the top drawer is pulled out of cabinet showing the ironing board mounted atop the drawer.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be observed that the'ironing board is generally denoted by reference numeral 10. The ironing board includes a flat surface table top generally referred to by numeral 12 having a practical tapered nose end 104. The table top is adapted to be removably secured to a partially open cabinet or furniture drawer or partially open cabinet bread board by means of two blade elements 14 and 16 fixed onto underside 102 of table top 12. A support assembly 18 (shown joined in FIG. 4) is also fixed to the underside of the table top and includes a guide channel element 20 and a slide body element 22. The slide body is adjustably received into a T slot 36 of the guide channel. Slide body 22 has a downward bent tongue 28. Guide channel 20 also hasa downward bent tongue 30. A clamping screw 32 locks the slide body into the T slot to fixedly space the tongue 28 a distance away from tongue 30. A lift block element 34 is fixed onto the underside of the table top, having a tunnel 36 formed in its elongated portion. The lift block 34 serves an especially important function to elevate the table top'when the ironing board is mounted onto the drawer or cutting board, while the two blades and the support member serve an equally important function to removably secure the table top onto the drawer or bread board to be hereafter explained.

Both blades 14 and 16 have a step configuration rise portions 38 and 40. Rise portion 38 of blade 14 has two holes 42 and 44 available to receive two clamping screws 46 and 48. The clamping screws are then received into threaded bores 50 and 52 (see FIG. 2) fixing blade 14 to underside 102 of the table top. Likewise, blade 16 is fixed to the underside of the table top as two holes 54 and 56 are in its rise portion 40 and clamping screws 58 and 60 are received through the holes 54 and 56 and continue into threaded bore 62 and 64 (see FIG. 2).

As seen in FIG. 3, the support assembly 18 includes the elongated guide channel element 20 and the elongated slide body element 22. Guide channel 20 includes along its elongated length a web 66 and two legs 24 and 26 extending downwardly from its web. Two lips 23 and 27 extend laterally from the legs forming between the lips, a T slot 36. Two holes 68 and 70 are formed through web 66 (see FIG. 1). The slide body is adapted to be slidably received into T slot 36 of the guide channel and in sliding contact with its web 66. An adjustment slot 72 is formed in the elongated portion of the slide body. The slide body is slidably received into the T slot and adapted to be fixedly locked in adjustably spaced positions by means of the clamping screw 32 extending through adjustment slot 72 and through hole 70 and continuing through washer 33 and last and finally received into the threaded bore 74. The T slots open portion 106 allows head 108 of the clamping screw to be received between lips 23 and 26 and in contact with slide body 22. Accordingly, the guide channel becomes fixed onto the underside 102 of the table top. Referring to FIG. 1, a second clamping screw 76 enters through hole 68 in the guide channel piece and through washer 77 and is finally received into threaded bore 78 (FIG. 2) formed in underside 102 of the table top. Therefore, complete fixing on both ends of the support member 18 onto the underside of table top 12 is achieved with the use of the two clamping screws, 32 and 76.

Thus, with the support assembly fixed to the underside of the table top, slidable movement of slide body will be limited in one direction by end portion 80 of slide body 22 striking clamp screw 76 and in the other direction by the length of slot 72 and its inside end portion 82 striking clamp screw 32. The length of the adjustment slot 72 is dimensioned to accommodate the maximum slidable adjustment. Guide channel 20 includes a tongue 30 extending laterally from its elongated portion. Likewise, the slide body element includes a tongue 28 extending laterally from its elongated portion. Tongue 30 includes upturned tail 31 and tongue 28 has an upturned tail 29. Fixedly spaced adjustment of tongue 28 from tongue 30 is accomplished with the ability of the slide body to move in an in and out direction inside the T slot and with the locking feature of clamping screw 32.

An elongated lift block element 34 features a tunnel 35 shaped into its elongated portion with legs 84 and 86 formed downwardly from a web 88. Two holes 90 and 92 are formed in the web. Clamping screws 94 and 96 pass through holes 90 and 92 and join into threaded bores 98 and 100 (FIG. 2) securing lift block to underside 102 of the table top. The longitudinal length of the lift block is shorter than the longitudinal length of the support assembly.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the ironing board is most efficiently usable in conjunction with a cushion cover 110. When the cover is placed on the table top 12, underlapping edges 112 of the cover encircle the entire table top and hooking 114 of common use are used to secure the cover. Washers 33 and 77 serve to elevate the table top from the support assembly permitting underlap 112 to fit into this separation. Likewise, blades 14 and 16 include rise portions 38 and 40 permitting underlap 112 to fit around and under the table top as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, the rise portions serve to prevent interference of the blades with the securing of the cover and the washers serve to prevent interference of the support assembly with the securing of the cover. The longitudinal length of the lift block is of a shorter length than that of the width of the table top, allowing the cover underlap 112 to fit around edges of the board in a manner so the lift block will not interfere with the cover underlap. A figure was not used to illustrate this feature.

It is known that bread boards as well as drawers are built in a sturdy nature when they are found built into husky cabinets or furniture pieces. The bread boards and drawers are also known to support a weight greater than the weight of ironing board 10, thus enabling the mounting and the use of the ironing board atop the bread board or drawer.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ironing board is mounted atop a partially open bread board top 116 of cabinet 118. This is a bread board type which is of a nature snugly fit or received into a cabinet space opening 120. The blades 14 and 16 are pushed into a slight opening 120 (see FIG. 6) formed between the bread board top surface 116 and the top lip 122 of the cabinet allowing enough space in which to push blades in a wedged fashion. As hereinbefore indicated, the blades are fastened to the table top and so likewise the table top becomes removably secured in a snug fashion accompanied with the blades. With the table top secured in this manner, an upward lift could be exerted onto the table top and the blades will resist the upward lift.

Tongues 28 and 30 of the support assembly, with their adjustably fixed space relation of one tongue to the other, have the ability to stride various width bread boards in a snug manner discouraging a sideway slipping of the table top. When the desired separation width of the tongues is set, that width being enough to allow the bread board between, the tongues may be mounted around or removed from the bread board without readjusting or disturbing the spacing between the tongues. The bent tail ends 29 and 30 aid in allowing a yielding movement between the bread board and the tongues.

The lift block element 34 will rest atop the bread board, serving to elevate the table top at nose end 104 to acquire a more desirable ironing position. The mounting of ironing board 10 onto a partially. open drawer of a cabinet 118 involves a slightly different placement of the lift block.

Referring to FIG. 6, the lift blocks tunnel 35 receives between its tunnel legs 84 and 86, the front face 124 of the partially open drawer, securing and resting the table top at this point and elevating nose end 104 to a more practical ironing position. Ironing board 10 is further secured as blades 14 and 16 rest to the top of and inside opening 128 from which the drawer was pulled. When a force is pushed downward at nose end 104, the blades serve to prevent a rising up of table topat end 132 where the blades are fastened, thus securing table top onto drawer. The support assembly lays atop the two sides of the open drawer. It should be noted here that because FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross section, only one of the sides of the drawer is visible and this side is referred to as side I26, likewise only one blade 14 is visible.

Tongues 28 and 30 (not visible in FIG. 6), of the support assembly stride the two sides of the open drawer in the same manner as previously described when table top was mounted atop 'a bread board and the tongues will again discourage a possible sideways slipping of the table top.

It is known that somecabinet drawers are of a type which feature a higher front face than the side boards of the drawer. When the table top is mounted atop this type drawer, its higher face front board would serve the function of the lift block and would substitutionally serve the purpose of the lift block so the lift block could then rest immediately behind the front face board and inside the drawer opening. A figure was not used to show this mounting arrangement.

Although the invention shown and described herein makes reference to an ironing board table top, it may be used as a work top for other purposes and does not necessarily have limitations to be used only as an ironing board.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with an ironing board cover and in combination with a cabinet having an opening to receive a flat top bread board or a drawer with the allowance of either the bread board or the drawer to be partially pulled out from said opening, an ironing board assembly comprising an elongated table top, a wedging blade means fixed by fastening means to underside of the table top and at one end of the table top and extending outwardly from said end and adapted to be pushed into and between the said cabinet opening and the partially open flat top bread board and adapted to also be rested inside the cabinet opening and in contact with the top of said cabinet opening from which said partially open drawer was pulled, an elongated support assembly fastened to the underside of the table top and fastened crosswise to the length of the table top at a position near to the table top end where said blade member is fastened and said support assembly consisting of an elongated guide channel having a curved tongue at one end and a fastening means fixing the guide channel to the table top at the tongue end of the guide channel and fixed at a point somewhat in and away from the tongue of the guide channel and said guide channel having a formation of a channel in said elongated length, with the channel adapted to receive a slide body having a bent tongue at one end opposite the end received into the channel and the slide body has sliding movement inside the channel and the slide body has an elongated slot adopted to receive a locking means, for fixedly spacing the slide body tongue away from or toward the guide channel tongue, and said locking means will also fix the support assembly to the underside of the table top at a point somewhat in front of and away from the tongue end of the slide body and said support assembly is adapted to receive a drawer of said cabinet, between the slide body tongue and the guide channel tongue of the support assembly.

2. The combination of claim 1 including an elongated lift block with fastening means securing said lift block to the underside of the table top in a position crosswise to the length of the table top and some distance in front of support assembly and consisting of two legs extending downward from the elongated length, forming a tunnel between, and said tunnel is adapted to receive a front facing board of said drawer at the open end of the drawer.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said support assembly includes a spacing means fixed between the support assembly and the table top, using the support assembly fastening means and said spacing means will serve to bridge the support assembly away from the table top, forming a space between and in which said ironing board cover may be received.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said blade element includes a rise portion at the fastening end of the blade, forming a space between the table top and the one extended end of the blade, and said space is adapted to receive said ironing board cover.

5. An ironing board attachment for use with a cabinet having an opening to receive a bread board or a drawer comprising: an elongated generally flat board tapered at the front end thereof; a wedging blade adopted to be inserted in said opening in contact with the upper edge thereof; means fastening said wedging blade to the underside of said elongated board; said wedging blade extending beyond the rear end of said 'board in a direction away from said tapered front end; said fastening means being spaced from the rear edge of said elongated board; at least a portion of said wedging blade that extends between said fastening means and the rear edge of said elongated board being spaced from the bottom side of said board to accommodate an ironing board cover. 

1. In combination with an ironing board cover and in combination with a cabinet having an opening to receive a flat top bread board or a drawer with the allowance of either the bread board or the drawer to be partially pulled out from said opening, an ironing board assembly comprising an elongated table top, a wedging blade means fixed by fastening means to underside of the table top and at one end of the table top and extending outwardly from said end and adapted to be pushed into and between the said cabinet opening and the partially open flat top bread board and adapted to also be rested inside the cabinet opening and in contact with the top of said cabinet opening from which said partially open drawer was pulled, an elongated support assembly fastened to the underside of the table top and fastened crosswise to the length of the table top at a position near to the table top end where said blade member is fastened and said support assembly consisting of an elongated guide channel having a curved tongue at one end and a fastening means fixing the guide channel to the table top at the tongue end of the guide channel and fixed at a point somewhat in and away from the tongue of the guide channel and said guide channel having a formation of a channel in said elongated length, with the channel adapted to receive a slide body having a bent tongue at one end opposite the end received into the channel and the slide body has sliding movement inside the channel and the slide body has an elongated slot adopted to receive a locking means, for fixedly spacing the slide body tongue away from or toward the guide channel tongue, and said locking means will also fix the support assembly to the underside of the table top at a point somewhat in front of and away from the tongue end of the slide body and said support assembly is adapted to receive a drawer of said cabinet, between the slide body tongue and the guide channel tongue of the support assembly.
 2. The combination of claim 1 including an elongated lift block with fastening means securing said lift block to the underside of the table top in a position crosswise to the length of the table top and some distance in front of support assembly and consisting of two legs extending downward from the elongated length, forming a tunnel between, and said tunnel is adapted to receive a front facing board of said drawer at the open end of the drawer.
 3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said support assembly includes a spacing means fixed between the support assembly and the table top, using the support assembly fastening means and said spacing means will serve to bridge the support assembly away from the table top, forming a space between and in which said ironing board cover may be received.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said blade element includes a rise portion at the fastening end of the blade, forming a space between the table top and the one extended end of the blade, and said space is adapted to receive said ironing board cover.
 5. An ironing board attachment for use with a cabinet having an opening to receive a bread board or a drawer comprising: an elongated generally flat board tapered at the front end thereof; a wedging blade adopted to be inserted in said opening in contact with the upper edge thereof; means fastening said wedging blade to the underside Of said elongated board; said wedging blade extending beyond the rear end of said board in a direction away from said tapered front end; said fastening means being spaced from the rear edge of said elongated board; at least a portion of said wedging blade that extends between said fastening means and the rear edge of said elongated board being spaced from the bottom side of said board to accommodate an ironing board cover. 